“International Women's Day is celebrated every year on March 8. The important role and recognition of women in the lottery industry, as well as gender equality in the workplace, are critical to the advancement of society and to ensuring fairness and inclusion for all. As commitment to society is one of our core values, European lotteries and its members work to continue to empower women and recognize their important social role.”
This was recalled in a note by European lotteries, the umbrella organization of national lotteries that manage games with cash prizes for the public benefit.
“For the first time ever, EL's recent 2021 report looked at sustainability topics such as diversity, equity and inclusion and found that, among full-time employees, women account for 50 percent . Together we can actively contribute to finally closing the gender gap and making the world a fairer and more equal place.
EL WOMEN'S INITIATIVE MENTORING PROGRAM FOR LEADERSHIP IN LOTTERIES (WILL) - EL is proud of its WiLL Mentoring Program, designed for women leaders in the lottery industry who want to realize their full potential. With a focus on skills and knowledge development, the program aims to create new opportunities for junior and mid-level women in EL membership, as a mentee or mentor. The mission is to drive high-performance business growth by supporting the advancement of women into top positions in lottery management, leadership and accountability. The WiLL Mentoring Program 2022-2023 in Europe was officially launched during a successful initial webinar and runs with mentors and mentees over a six-month period.
“Today we hear from inspiring women in the lottery industry as we prepare for the launch of a dedicated module for the WiLL program on the EL e-learning platform,” the organization said.
To tell the evolution of this program is Stéphane Pallez, first vice-president of El, president and CEO of La Française des jeux (Fdj) and champion of the program in Europe: "WiLL continues to grow, creating a path for talented women and passionate. Both mentors and mentees will benefit from this experience and help build an environment that not only accepts diversity, but celebrates and promotes it.”
Romana Girandon, second vice president of El, president and CEO of Loterija Slovenije d.d. she adds: ”12 years ago, when I was about to sign an important international contract in Helsinki, I was the only woman to sign the contract out of 30 or 40 men. And I wasn't even the president of the lottery at the time, I was just authorized to sign by my male boss. Since then, when I look around the lottery industry, I think things have changed a lot. More and more of us are in the most responsible and most influential positions. And there's also a network of coworkers and programs like WiLL. It's important that we keep doing what we're doing, like promoting best practices, establishing programs like this (WiLL), inventing new initiatives to voluntarily join at a European level, and encouraging members to join us."
Furthermore, Elisabeth Römer-Russwurm, Managing Director of Lottery Business, Austrian Lotteries and mentor of the WiLL program 2022-2023, gives the following advice: ”Believe in yourself, set ambitious goals and pursue them consistently. Get all the support you can get and learn to delegate as soon as possible in both your professional and personal life. I think future leaders need to be open to diversity and see the opportunities. Leaders need to be more like a coach, on the side of employees, and encourage them to work independently. This applies to both men and women. Leaders need to be freshly oriented in this rapidly changing world we are working in. ”